Radiokiller's Mock Draft

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Yeah it doesn't matter. If my 4th round OT (McCants) comes in and beats out Ziemba, cut him. You just keep your best OTs (however many you want to keep). But we need an upgrade in depth. Our back ups need to be better than our current back ups. Also we need someone to come in and compete for a starting job as Otah is not dependable.

I don't think anyone drafted outside the 1st round will challenege Otah for a starting spot.. at least not soon.

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I don't think anyone drafted outside the 1st round will challenege Otah for a starting spot.. at least not soon.

Bell is doing it right now. Not because of talent but because he can stay on the field.

And there are sleepers everywhere in each draft. It's not about where you are drafted, but how you perform. Not saying McCants/or any other 4th rd OT is going to come in and start right away. We just need to upgrade that position.

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Bell is doing it right now. Not because of talent but because he can stay on the field.

And there are sleepers everywhere in each draft. It's not about where you are drafted, but how you perform. Not saying McCants/or any other 4th rd OT is going to come in and start right away. We just need to upgrade that position.

The thing is that it was the coaches that shelved Otah, not Otah himself. And they did it, not because he wouldn't have been able to play anymore this season, but because they want at him at 100% next year, when they expect to make a real playoff run. From what I understand, he would have been able to get back out there at some point this season, but they felt it was more important to get him ready for next season.

So to me, it looks as if Otah is clearly in their plans for next season. Of course, I'm sure they will have a contingency plan, just in case. But I don't think they have any intention of bringing in someone to push Otah out...of course, if Kalil is available when we pick, that could change their minds since he looks to be an elite talent, and would be hard to pass up.

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As for the fraft, I don't believe we will be in position to take one of the top players that many are talking about. While I would love Claiborne, he will almost certainly go in the top five, and I believe we will win tomorrow at TB and possibly even the next game against Tampa along with possibly against NO if they have things locked up and are playing their backups. So I believe we'll end up winning 5-6 games, which would likely put us at the fringe of the top ten, at best.

The thing that worries me is with the way Tampa is imploding, they may actually be in position to take Claiborne.

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The thing is that it was the coaches that shelved Otah, not Otah himself. And they did it, not because he wouldn't have been able to play anymore this season, but because they want at him at 100% next year, when they expect to make a real playoff run. From what I understand, he would have been able to get back out there at some point this season, but they felt it was more important to get him ready for next season.

So to me, it looks as if Otah is clearly in their plans for next season. Of course, I'm sure they will have a contingency plan, just in case. But I don't think they have any intention of bringing in someone to push Otah out...of course, if Kalil is available when we pick, that could change their minds since he looks to be an elite talent, and would be hard to pass up.

I am not sure how accurate that is though. It seems like they did the same thing last year when we we had different plans. When you have to shelf players for the next season that means they can't be relied on. He is injury prone, plain and simple. I think people want to think that way to feel better about Otah.

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I am not sure how accurate that is though. It seems like they did the same thing last year when we we had different plans. When you have to shelf players for the next season that means they can't be relied on. He is injury prone, plain and simple. I think people want to think that way to feel better about Otah.

I actually don't think Rivera ever saw this year so much a playoff year as an evaluation and developmental year. So shelving Otah was more a long term move than one for this season. Rivera's said several times that they shelved Otah to get his knee completely healed and get him ready for next season. I don't remember the exact wording, but the gist was that while he could have played again this year, he wouldn't have been 100%, so they decided to pack it in so he'll be ready to play next year. He's also intimated that he thinks the reason Otah was still dealing with the knee was not because he is injury prone, but that his rehab wasn't under the watchful eye of the team's trainers and doctors during the lockout.

What's the truth? We really don't know. But listening to what he's said and reading between the lines, I think he really likes Otah as a player, and wants to do whatever he can to make sure he's healthy and ready and contribute next year in a playoff push. That doesn't mean we won't bring in a solid backup, but I don't expect it will be anyone to truly challenge Otah for the starting spot, just someone that could start if needed.

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Many question his size and wonder if he'd be better suited for safety. But I think if he could just add some muscle and some pounds he will fit just fine at OLB. With the uncertainty of Thomas Davis, an OLB seems like a good pick. Spence is a tackling machine and is one of the few bright spots on the otherwise shaky Miami defense. He has quickness to move laterally and if he shows willingness to add some weight (he did so in his college career) he should be a factor in run defense.

I think Spence would be a perfect fit to replace Davis. A speedy guy that makes big plays. Remember TD was a safety coming out.